My life with two chronic illnesses - depression and MS - and how I'm gradually overcoming them to go from being "chronically ill" to "chronically well".

Wednesday, 2 September 2015

What's all this about green smoothies?

With movies like "Powered By Green Smoothies" getting noticed, and Nutribullet adverts on the telly almost every time you switch it on, you may be wondering what all this "green smoothie" hoo-ha is about.

A green smoothie is simply a smoothie where around half the produce that you

(C) rawedibles.blogspot.co.uk

blend in is those dark green leafy vegetables that we all need to eat more of. I'm talking about the kings of the veg world: spinach, kale, chard, collards - pound for pound the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet. The other half of a green smoothie is made up of fruit or berries, sweetening the whole thing to make it a delicious meal.

I don't mind admitting that I'm a big fan. And right now, while I'm living in a place without a juicer, I'm having a glass of this green rocket fuel every day.

If like me you have blood sugar issues, you may find it best to keep to a 50/50 ratio of greens to fruit, and exchange sugar-rich tropical fruits (bananas, mangoes, pineapples) for lower-sugar apples and berries.If you're healthy and have no weight to lose, I can't see a reason not to follow the suggested 60/40 rule in this excellent beginner's guide to green smoothies, from the inspiring blog Simple Green Smoothies: http://simplegreensmoothies.com/green-smoothie-101.

Three quick tips to get you started:

You don't need to buy an expensive smoothie maker to make smoothies. Any good blender will do. Generally, the more powerful the motor, the smoother the mix.

Before you whizz, just notice all the good stuff that's going into your smoothie. Imagine that lot on a plate. A smoothie is a MEAL, not a drink to gulp down WITH a meal!

Be creative, but don't be put off if you have one or two disappointments as you're starting out. My first two attempts were fairly awful! Follow the suggestions in this guide and you'll soon get the hang of it.